I wish I knew these tips and tricks before I gave birth!
Don’t get misguided by thinking that if breastfeeding is natural, it is also easy.
BECAUSE IT ISN’T!
I was the one who got caught into this trap. So my first couple of months of nursing were painful and stressful and “why on earth have I decided to go through this breastfeeding hell at all” kinda thing.
Yes, we do all learn with experience. It’s just that in case of breastfeeding, a little pre-education never hurt nobody. Every single piece of information that can help you learn how to breastfeed and make nursing easier is crucial and you have to know it.
These totally awesome breastfeeding tips I found across internet is pure gold! I believe every momma should know them to save her sanity and have a successful, stress-free and long-term breastfeeding journey.
14 BRILLIANT BREASTFEEDING TIPS TO MAKE NURSING EASIER
The most important breastfeeding tip that many moms ignore:
Educate yourself about breastfeeding while you are still pregnant!
Sure enough you can subscribe for an offline course in your area, but we live in the century where technologies thrive. You will save yourself a ton of time and money (and your nerves!) if you opt for Milkology Breastfeeding Class, which is online and cost just $19.
You can watch it anytime, having lifetime access to the course. You will need it! I’ve stopped breastfeeding half a year ago and I already feel that my knowledge about it needs to be refreshed.
Earlier I used to igmore this type of education but I’ve realized how extremely valuable it is! When I was pregnant I learned how to breastfeed in the clinic close to my house. Well, let me just tell you, after watching Stacey’s Milkology course, I can undoubtedly say, the knowledge and assurance I acquired afterwards is so much more palpable than what I thought I had before.
So make sure to check out The Ultimate Breastfeeding Class, whether you are pregnant or already breastfeeding, you will find it super helful!
Now let’s dive into some actionable tips that will save you time and sanity while ensuring a successful breastfeeding journey.
1. Best nursing pillow to support your back while breastfeeding
Believe me, you’ll be glad you bought one, because without using a decent nursing pillow, your back would want to fall off and you may have tight muscles or even a spasm by the end of the day. No kidding.
2. Breastfeeding station everyone!
When you have all your essential things for breastfeeding in handy, it makes every nursing session way easier. Here’s the ultimate list of supplies you’ll need to create a comfy breastfeeding station.
Photo source: https://www.alytyghter.com/2017/08/01/ultimate-breastfeeding-basket/
3. Try different breastfeeding positions
Sometimes nursing in one position makes your back stiff and can even cause a clog in the milk duct because the milk isn’t evacuating from all sides of your breast efficiently. Learn different breastfeeding positions and find two-three that suits you best. Don’t forget to alter them while nursing.
Mama Natural has the best guide for breastfeeding positions with detailed explanation. The nice bonus you’ll find there is 3 useful tips (and detailed techniques) to help your baby latch effectively.
Photo Source: https://babygooroo.com/articles/breastfeeding-positions-latch
DON’T MISS THIS ARTICLE: 12 THINGS YOU CAN DO WHILE BREASTFEEDING TO PREVENT BREAST SAGGING AFTER WEANING
4. Water bottle to take everywhere with you
If you haven’t breastfed yet, you know nothing about what thirst REALLY is! I am absolutely serious. You want to drink all the time. Besides, you should never forget: the more you drink, the more milk you will make. So staying hydrated is an absolute must in your list of priorities for breastfeeding success! Consider investing in a decent water bottle that will also help you track your water intake throughout the day.
5. Consider using Haakaa breast pump
It’s absolutely priceless when you want to save your precious breast milk from going straight into a breast pad while you let down. Simply put this Haakaa breast pump to your non-nursing side during the feeding session and gather the milk from the let down without additional pumping. Yay!
Check out the honest (not sponsored!) review on how to use Haakaa breast pump and how you can gather enough milk using it without additional pumping at all!
6. Wear layers for comfortable breastfeeding in public.
Once I’ve made a huge mistake of not wearing layers and not having a special nursing shirt with an easy access to my boobs. Flashing my postpartum belly (three weeks after birth) while breastfeeding my baby in public surely wasn’t something I was comfortable with. Say no more! Layers were my best friends from that day on.
What wearing layers look like?
7. Breastfeeding arm pillow rocks!
It’s comfortable, lightweight, portable and helps position baby for optimal latch. It’s an absolute must-have for breastfeeding during distant car travels, nursing in airplanes and public places. And the best thing is that it will easily fit into your diaper bag!
8. Hands Free Nursing clip
Just L-O-V-E-D nursing with it! Unless you have three hands (which, I’m sure is not your case), you will so much need (and love!) this hands-free nursing clip.
9. Breastfeeding Leggings for comfortable nursing in public
Any item of your clothes that is high-wasted automatically becomes your best friend while you’re trying to lose weight postpartum. On top of that, the clothes you’re wearing for your bottom should be quite stretchy, fitting nice and comfortably. Breastfeeding Leggings is the way to go! In case you forgot to wear layers, they will save you from being embarrassed by showing your not-so-cute-postpartum-belly to the public while nursing.
Photo Source: https://www.theredclosetdiary.com/2016/02/two-ways-to-wear-blanqi-leggings-wiwt.html
10. Use a hair tie trick
This is a brilliant life hack to remember which side you breastfed last. I’ve learned it from one of my momma’s friends. Simply put a hair tie on the left or right wrist, depending on what side you breastfed the last time, so that you never forget which breast to start nursing with the next time. Just make sure to change wrists next feeding session.
11. Nursing night light
This nursing night light is tiny, light-weight, easy to use, and what is even more great – it’s affordable! You simply clips it to your shirt or bra and it gives you just enough light to see your baby while nursing. You can also set a nursing timer from 5 to 20 minutes and track the time of your feedings.
12. Nursing necklace to save your hair (and face!)
Well, my hair is precious! Considering the fact that I was losing them like crazy every single day for the good hell of seven months of breastfeeding, I’d do anything I could for losing no more. Whereas my baby seemed to disagree with me about that, pulling my hair every time he could catch it. Problem was quickly solved by me ordering this nursing necklace that also turned out to be great for teething.
13. Say yes to baby nursing app.
Hello, sleep-deprived mama! I know you can barely hold it together and the last thing you can rely on is your memory. So using this amazing app will help you remember the last time of the feeding, which side your baby ate on and the time he spent at your breast. You can also keep a record of dirty/wet diapers, your baby’s growth, and doctor’s visits in this app.
14. DIY nursing tank
Instead of buying some ridiculously expensive nursing tank tops, transform the one you already have! It will take no more than 10 minutes of your time and add a skill to your crafty self. See the tutorial for DIY nursing tank here.
BEST BREASTFEEDING TIPS TO SOLVE PROBLEMS AND CONTROL PAIN
- Take a hot shower, then massage your breast with coconut oil to relieve a clogged duct.
- Use lanolin to relieve sore nipples but only for the first two weeks of breastfeeding, otherwise it will make your nipples too tender, thus they may get sore again.
- Amazing and easy to make DIY sore nipple relief cream from Mama Natural.
- Put a cold and clean cabbage leaf on your breast to relieve inflammation, pain and soreness from a clogged milk duct and mastitis. It may seem like an old wife’s tale, but it works like magic every time! I’ve checked at least twice!
- Use a nipple shield. Learn to work with inverted nipples. But even if you don’t have one and breastfeeding is one big hell of pain, try using this shield to breastfeed until you feel better. Just make sure the sore nipples don’t come from the wrong latch. Because treating it will be the whole other story.
- Yay to booby ice packs perfectly shaped to cover your breasts. Use it cold to relieve pain from engorgement, use it hot for a clogged milk duct and mastitis relief or to induce a let down.
9 SMART PUMPING AND MILK STORAGE TIPS
- Invest in milk savers. They are great for help catching all the milk that leaks during let-down and make the most of your supply. Because every pumping mom knows: waisting a drop of this liquid gold would be a huge mistake! I mean, OH MY GOD, how totally awesome these milk savers are!
- Take a hot shower and make a good massage to pump more milk much easier.
- Use your microwave as a sterilizer for the breast pump. These quick clean micro-steam bags are just amazing and save you tons of time!
- Put your used parts of the breast pump into a bag and put it into the fridge between the pumping sessions to skip the sterilization. Simply wash the parts at the end of the day.
- Get skin-to-skin with your baby to induce a let down while pumping.
- Use your pump flange as a funnel to pour your breast milk into storage bags to never spill your precious breast milk again!
- Lay your milk bags flat to freeze them and have more storage space.
- Organize your breast milk stash by using this ingenious trick with empty soda box system, which allows you to separate older from newer bags and just have a perfect order and more free space in your freezer.
- Use date stickers to ensure your frozen breast milk is still fresh, because, man, postpartum brain is just something you cannot rely on!
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